Co-operative and Collaborative Learning Activities
Cooperative and Collaborative Learning (CCL) essentially provide a structured way of sharing responsibilities for learning in groups. Typically, students work in pairs or small groups of three to four people to interact with each other, sharing ideas and resources, supporting and encouraging each other's learning through peer teaching and, most importantly, holding mutual accountability for achieving learning outcomes. Very often, CCL share the following characteristics:
- The focus of instruction is on learner
- Interaction and "doing" are of primary importance
- Working in groups is an important mode of learning.
Cooperative Learning: Students Working in Small Groups, from the Stanford University Newsletter on Teaching outlined some suggestion for using CCL to accomplish course learning goals:
Assigning Group Tasks that Promote Learning
Not all course can include CCL assignment. Courses which require students to apply theoretical knowledge into real-world problem may be appropriate to include group works. Class size and individual accountability also need to be taken into consideration. The group size should not be too large (around 4-5 students per group) and students need to critique or evaluate each other’s’ contribution from time to time.
Teaching Students to Work in Groups
Collaborating may not come naturally to every student. Besides, some students may not see the importance of group works if they cannot see the relevance of that group work with the larger group objective. Therefore, the interpersonal and organizational skills needed for managing the group need to be highlighted so that students value the importance keeping discussion on task, eliciting different viewpoints from their peers or providing good feedback to their peers etc.
Forming and Guiding Groups
Forming groups for students or allowing them to form it by themselves have both pros and cons. However, meeting each group and providing feedback to them on a regular basis is essential to making the whole thing works. Feedback or advice should be provided not till the very end so that students will still have chance to improve their work. Although feedback should be provided, students should have the right to make their own decision and judgment.
Evaluating Group Work
In most cases, a grade will be given to the group as a whole. But individual accomplishment should also be addressed so that student feel their contribution has been evaluated and addressed properly. To ensure individual contribution, you can have in-class quizzes (asking for specific information on what they have learnt so far) or ask individual to report their progress from time to time. The grading procedure and criteria also need to be explained to students in details.
Cooperative and Collaborative Learning - What's the Difference?
Cooperative and collaborative learning are perhaps best viewed as being at different ends of a continuum where the main differences between them are who has the authority over knowledge and the power over the learning processes; to put it another way, the degree of control given to the learners by the faculty member. In practical terms, the differences are seen in the answers to such questions as who structures activities, who designates roles, who provides knowledge input, who provides resources, who assesses and who decides what counts as knowledge.
Resources
1. Three Ways of Structuring Student-Student Interaction, by Prof David W. Johnson
2. Effective Designs and Practices for Problem-Based Cooperative Learning, by Prof Karl A. Smith
3. Team-Based Learning: Group Work that Works, University of Texas.
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